Deciding How To See

“My work is about space and the light that inhabits it. It is about how you confront that space and plumb it. It is about your seeing… As you plumb a space with vision, it is possible to ‘see yourself see.’ This seeing, this plumbing, imbues space with consciousness. By how you decide to see it and where you are in relation to it, you create its reality.” – James TurrellFor this month’s 20K Field Trip, we visited James Turrell’sThe Light Inside, his retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. With knowledge of Turrell’s work ranging from near-scholarly to novice, we dove headfirst into his universe.

And what a disorienting place it was. If you’ve ever wondered what Alice saw when she went down the rabbit hole, The Light Inside is about as close as you’ll get in reality. His use of space, light and structure work together to trick your eye into seeing things you never thought possible – until the friendly guards alert you that you’re about to walk into a wall.

When we emerged, blinking and squinting, from the exhibit, we perused the lexicon of Turrell’s work available for viewing and were amazed at what he has created over the years. James Turrell has brought his intersections of light, color and space to far-flung corners of the globe (including Rice University), inviting everyone to plumb the depths and rethink how they see.

The quote from James Turrell at the beginning of this post is the definition of what it means to be creative – to constantly see things in new ways and reassess your relationship to them. While Turrell may have been referring to his art, it’s important to us, and our clients, that we tackle issues and opportunities from a creative angle. We pride ourselves on our roster of long-term clients, but constantly thinking of new ways to view client work enables us to add value. When it comes to thinking outside the box, we can all learn from The Light Inside - sometimes the best approach is to let go of the fear of failure or weirdness, throw yourself down the rabbit hole and experience what comes out the other side.
To keep our thinking fresh and inspired, we’ve been constructing out very own in-office Lightbulb Lounge. We envision the Lightbulb Lounge as a place to get away from our computers to think, inspire and conspire. Although we may not always be able to sneak away for an afternoon at the museum, we can create a space for ourselves to let our creativity flow – whether it’s with a grammar-conscious stuffed animal or some new wall art to remind us that, sometimes, you’ve just got to let the light in.

A sneak peek of our new Lightbulb Lounge inspiration, courtesy of the talented Evan O'Neil.